Office of the Governor

Christie
Administration breaks ground
on
$900 million Direct Connection
project in Southern New JerseyI-295, Route
42 and I-76 motorists to reap major
safety
and congestion-relief benefits

(Trenton) – Lt. Governor
Kim Guadagno was today joined
by New Jersey Department of Transportation
(DOT) Commissioner James Simpson
in Bellmawr to break ground on
the $900 million federally funded
Direct Connection project that
will provide a seamless route
for I-295 motorists traveling
through the interchange of I-295,
Route 42 and I-76 in Bellmawr,
Mt. Ephraim and Gloucester City.

"After a decade of planning, design,
engineering and community involvement,
today's groundbreaking represents
the final phase of a project that
will help reduce crashes and improve
traffic flow along the busiest stretch
of highway in this southern New
Jersey region," said Lt. Governor
Guadagno. "The new route will
also benefit local residents who
are regularly subjected to traffic
congestion on their streets when
crashes within the interchange prompt
motorists to divert to local roads."

Approximately 250,000 vehicles
travel through the interchange each
weekday to and from Camden, Philadelphia
and other destinations. The current
configuration requires I-295 motorists
to exit the interstate and weave
across other congested highway lanes
to return to I-295. The project
will eliminate dangerous merge conditions
by building a viaduct that carries
I-295 traffic over Route 42 and
I-76.

"Under the Christie Administration,
investments in our transportation
network are guided by a handful
of key metrics, including the safety,
operational performance and quality-of-life
benefits that this project will
produce," said DOT Commissioner
Simpson.

DOT has awarded a $160 million
construction contract to PKF Mark
III of Newtown, Pennsylvania. Pre-construction
work will begin immediately, with
shovels in the ground by the end
of March or early April.

Under the first contract, work
will be carried out along I-295
south of Essex Avenue, along I-76
in the Market Street area and along
two Route 42 ramps. The Creek
Road and Bell Road bridges will
be replaced and several stretches
of roadways will be temporarily
widened to accommodate work under
future contracts. Work under
this first contract is expected
to be completed in the summer of
2015.

The project has been designed to
minimize inconvenience to motorists. During
Contract 1, NJDOT anticipates only
several evenings and weekends of
ramp closures in the vicinity of
Market Street and Route 130. I-295,
Route 42 and I-76 will remain open
to traffic throughout the entire
project.

The project has been divided into
four separate construction contracts,
with completion of the fourth and
final contract in the fall of 2021. The
I-295 mainline direct connection
will be built under Contract 3,
scheduled to begin in 2016 and to
be completed in late 2019. When
work under that contract is completed,
I-295 southbound traffic will start
using the new viaduct, but I-295
northbound traffic will not be using
the new bridge until new ramps are
built under the fourth and final
contract.

Work is already underway to install
Intelligent Transportation Systems
(ITS). This system includes Dynamic
Message Signs to alert motorists
of roadway incidents or congestion,
travel-time readers and adaptive
traffic signal control systems along
portions of Routes 168 and 130. Collectively,
these technology-based systems will
give NJDOT a wider range of capabilities
to manage traffic in Camden and
Gloucester counties during project
construction and beyond.

NJDOT remains committed to continue
to listen to residents, commuters
and other stakeholders and keep
them informed through newsletters,
meetings, postings on the NJDOT
project website http://www.state.nj.us/transportation/works/studies/rt295/ and
other forms of communication as
the project progresses.

The project website also features a video documenting the design process leading up to construction.

Project Background

A total of 26 alternatives were
considered during the design and
planning process that included extensive
community involvement. Five
of the 26 alternatives were selected
for further consideration, and one
of those five, Alternative D, was
selected as the preferred alternative.

The planning process included the
creation of an Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) in accordance with
federal regulations. A Record
of Decision approving the EIS was
signed by the Federal Highway Administration
on March 20, 2009.

The project includes a total of
10 new bridges, one bridge widening,
one bridge rehabilitation and two
temporary bridge structures. A total
of 22 retaining walls, more than
40 new sign structures and a total
of more than 15,000 feet of new
or reconstructed noise walls will
be built as a part of the project.

Project History

Construction of I-76 and Route
42 was completed in 1957 and 1958,
respectively. Construction
of the I-295 portion of the interchange
was completed in stages between
1958 and 1961. All three highways
funneled traffic toward and away
from Philadelphia.

The interchange continues to operate
as a major artery for Philadelphia
commuter traffic and as a connection
to the Jersey Shore via Route 42,
which connects to the Atlantic City
Expressway. I-295 also serves as
a major alternative to the nearby
New Jersey Turnpike and carries
traffic to many New Jersey destinations
north and south of the interchange.

The need for significant improvements
to this interchange was recognized
in 1985 during NJDOT's design of
widening improvements for Route
42. In 1999, NJDOT in conjunction
with the Delaware Valley Regional
Planning Commission recommended
that a project providing for a full,
grade-separated interchange be advanced.